Animated sign



R. V. DIXON ANIMATED SIGN Sept. 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV- 25,1960 f ay w mm M WW i Z my? R. V. DIXON ANIMATED SIGN Sept. 3, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1960 I as INVENTOR. #444 0A K am'alvUnited States Patent Filed Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,808 1 Claim. (Cl.40-'65) This invention relates to an improved construction for a sign ofthe type having at least two display panels which are movable relativeto each other so that when operatedbyiiitable driving means the displaypanels are alternately v1s1 e.

In general, the improvements of the present invention relate toproviding a construction for a sign of this type which can be easilyfabricated and assembled from inexpensive materials such as paperboard;to providing a sign composed of two principal units, a display portionand a driving portion, the display portion being easily detached fromthe driving portion so that the display can be changed withoutdiscarding the driving unit, and in which the driving portion forms asupport for the display portion when the sign is mounted on a surface;and, to providing an improved mounting and construction for the displaypanels of the sign.-

The present sign is made in two units, a display unit and a drive unit.The display unit consists of a suitable frame, preferably constructedprincipally of cardboard, in which a stationary display panel ismounted. This stationary panel consists of a series of individualoverlapping panel members which preferably are removably secured to theframe. At least one movable display panel is also supported in theframe, this movable panel including a series of individual overlappingpanel members each of which is interleaved between an adjacent pair ofthe stationary panel members. Means are provided for driving the movablepanel between one position in which the panel members thereof lie behindthe members of the stationary panel and another position in which thepanel members thereof lie in front of the stationary panel members. Thisdriving means consists of the drive unit which includes a suitable motormounted in a housing, also preferably formed of an inexpensive materialsuch as cardboard, and means for detachably connecting the display unitto the drive unit, this last named means including a driving connectionbetween the motor and the movable panel, the elements of which arebrought into driving relation with each other when the display unit anddrive unit are connected together. The relationship between the twounits is preferably such that when they are assembled, the drive unitfunctions as a pedestal or base for properly supporting the display unitwhen the sign is resting on a surface.

In signs of this type, a problem has existed in properly forming thedisplay message carried by the individual panel members, particularlythe stationary panel members which are mounted in overlapping relation.Unless the display indicia are also overlapped in some Way, the divisionbetween each adjacent panel member will appear sharply on whateverdisplay message the panel members bear. All means for forming anoverlapping of the indicia with which I am familiar involve expensiveprinting processes which greatly increase the cost of manufacture ofsigns especially when only a small quantity of a particular style ofsigns is required. In the present invention these difficulties areovercome by forming the individual panel members of the stationary panelfrom a pair of cards each of which is formed with suitable mountingmeans located at equal spacing along the length thereof. These mountingmeans are adapted to be engaged by cooperating mounting means carried bythe frame at regular intervals less than the spacing between the meanson each card. Each card is printed with the same indicia except that onone card of the pair the printing is offset relative to the printing ofthe other by a distance substantially equal to the interval between themounting means on the frame. The cards are then cut into separate panelswhich are assembled on the frame alternating one panel from each card.The overall result is that the indicia is overlapped and appears smoothand unbroken, regardless of any separation caused between adjacentpanels on the frame as a result of movement of the panels of the movable display.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription of the presently preferred embodiment of the inventiondisclosed in the accompanying drawings which consist of the followingviews:

FIGURE 1, an elevation of the sign with portions of the panels thereofbeing broken away to show the relationship therebetween;

FIGURE 2, a plan view of the sign assembly;

FIGURE 3, an elevation showing one of the pair of cards from which theindividual stationary display panels are made;

FIGURE 4, an enlarged elevation of one end of the card shown in FIG. 3;

FIGURE 5, an enlarged elevation similar to FIG. 4 showing the same endof the other card of the pair;

FIGURE 6, an enlarged sectional plan view taken on the lines 66 of FIG.1;

FIGURE 7, an enlarged sectional elevation taken on the lines 7--7 ofFIG. 1;

FIGURE 8, a perspective view showing the relation between a few of thestationary panel members and a few of the movable panel members in theposition where the movable members lie in front of the stationarymembers;

FIGURE 9, a view similar to FIG. 8 but showing the stationary panelmembers in front of the movable panel members;

FIGURE 10, a perspective view showing the motor unit housing and part ofthe drive connection; and

FIGURE 11, a perspective view showing a portion of the rear of thedisplay panel and the other part of the drive connection.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6 and 7, l0, and 11, the sign assembly shownincludes a display unit generally designated 20 and a motor unitgenerally designated 22.

Display unit '20 has a frame 24 formed from a single piece of materialsuch as cardboard. This frame includes .a back panel 25, and .a pair oftubular sides, each of which is formed by portions 26, 27, 28 and 29(FIG. 7) which extend respectively upwardly, inwardly, downwardly andinwardly from the rear panel, the portion 29 being secured thereto. Eachend of the frame is formed by portions 30 and 31 (FIG. 6) which extendupwardly and inwardly of the back panel 25, the portion 31 overlying theside portion 27 and being secured thereto. Each of the inwardly facingside portions 28 is provided with a series of equally spaced holes 32.

A stationary display panel is mounted in the frame and is composed of aseries of individual panel members 34, each of which is provided with apair of projecting tabs 35 engageable in a pair of oppositely alignedholes 32 in the frame side member portions 28. Each individual panelmember overlaps each adjacent panel member and the construction of thisstationary display panel will be further described herein-after.

The frame side portions 29 act as a pair of spacers for engaging asupporting member 36 of a movable display panel, member 36 beingslidably carried. between the frame side portions 28 for movementlongitudinally thereof. A series of overlapping individual panel members38 are each secured to the movable supporting member 36, as by a stripof tape 39 (FIG. 9), and each of these panel members 38 is insertedbetween an adjacent pair of stationary panel members 34.

3 Motor unit 22 is also fabricated of cardboard. A motor housing 40 isformed from a pair of box-like cardboard members 42 and 43, each havingside and end walls, which are assembled together in nested facingrelation, forming an enclosure in which a suitable electric motor 45 ismounted with the drive shaft 46 of the motor extending through the faceof the box member 43. A crank 44 and crank pin 47 are connected to themotor shaflt 46 and form one element of a driving connection between themotor unit 22 and the display unit 20. The motor housing 40 is securedto a generally U-shaped support member 48, having sides 49 and inwardlyturned flanges 50. g

The rear panel 25 of the display unit has a window 52 cut in itapproximately midway or its length as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 11, andthis window 52 is bordered by a framelike member 54 secured to the rearpanel and separated therefrom by spacer strips 55, thereby forming apair of guideways 56 between the rear panel 25 and firame member 54within which the flanges 50 of the motor unit are adapted to be slidablyreceived. This establishes a detachable connection between the motr unitand the display unit.

Means for forming the other element or a driving connection are securedto the rear face of the movable display panel 36 as shown in FIG. 11,this means consisting of suitable cardboard members generally designated60 which are glued to the panel member 36 and which are shaped to form adownwardly opening slot 62 for receiving the crank pin 47 of the motorunit 22 as shown in FIG. 2.

Assembly of the display unit to the motor unit is accomplished merely byplacing the display unit above the motor unit, aligning the flanges 50with the guideways 56 and the crank pin 47 with the slot 62, andrelatively moving the two units until the bottom edge 64 of the motorunit is at the level of the bottom edge of the display unit.

Thus the motor unit structure forms an extension of the bottom area orbase of the display unit and acts as the support or pedestal for thedisplay unit to holdit upright on a supporting surface.

Indicia are formed on the stationary and movable panels in the followingway: In the case of the movable panel, after the individual panelmembers 38 have been mounted on the member 36 in overlapping relation aspreviously described, any desired indicia are printed direotly on theoverlapping panel members 38 by any suitable process such as screening.For example, the letter A appears on two adjacent panel members 38a and38b as shown in FIGURE 8 and as shown for other letters in FIGURE 1, theindicia of the movable panel being indioated by cross-shading.

For the stationary panel, an overlapping of the indicia as well as ofthe panel members themselves is desirable. This is obtained in themanner best illustrated in FIG- URES 3, 4, and 5. FIGURE 3 shows a card70 formed with a series of equally spaced projecting connector elementsor tabs 35, the spacing between which is in excess of and preferably onthe order of twice the spacing between the apertures 32 of the displayunit frame. The

spacing between the tabs 35 determines the size of each individual panelmember 34, as indicated by the broken lines 71 on the card 70. Toprepare the indicia, card 70 is placed in a printing press and aprinting operation performed, forming for example, a letter E which isspaced with reference to individual panel members 34a, 34b, and 34c 01the card 70 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

After this operation has been performed, a second card 72 (FIG. 5)identical to the card is placed in the press and off-set relative to theprinting plate a distance which corresponds to the spacing between theindividual adjacent apertures 32. The printing operation is performedagain forming the letter B in the position shown with relation to thelast three panel members 34d, 34c and 34 of the card 72 as shown in FIG.5. After the printing operation, the cards 7 0, 72 are each cut intoindividual panel members 34 which are assembled in the display unitalternately in overlapping relation taking first a panel member from thecard 72 and then a panel member from the card 70 and inserting them inthe frame from right to left as it appears in FIG. 1. Due to thedifference in spacing between the tabs 35 and the apertures 32, thecards are mounted in overlapping or oir'set relation to substantiallythe same extent as was the offset used in the forming of the indicia.The indicia are overlapped but the overall appearance is of individualletters with no visible line of demarcation running across the letterscaused by the line between adjacent panel elements 34. Desiredcontinuity in the display carried by the stationary elements 34 is thusobtained in a relatively simple and inexpensive manner.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the signconstruction disclosed is one which can be manufactured at a veryreasonable cost, one in which the display unit can be changed as desiredto present a d-ifierent message and one in which a particular displayunit can be reworked by changing the stationary and movable panelportions thereof.

While .preferred embodiments have been described above in detail, itwill be understood that numerous modifications might be resorted towithout departing from the scope of the invention as defined in thefollowing claim.

I claim:

In a changeable display sign of the type having a series of stationaryoverlapping display members and a second series of movable overlappingdisplay members interleaved between the stationary members, means forsup porting and moving said second series of members comprising a framehaving a back panel and a pair of side portions, means mounting saidstationary members between said side poitions, a supporting member onwhich said second series of display members is mounted, said supportingmember being positioned intermediate and retained by said back panel andseries of'stationary display members for sliding movement relativethereto, an opening in said back panel exposing a portion of said supporting member, and driving means engageable with said supporting memberthrough said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

